Author Topic: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?  (Read 5508 times)

Ken Bee

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How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« on: July 19, 2021, 03:05:15 AM »
We recently purchased a 60-acre farm in Escondido, CA for my hundreds of fruit trees in pots that are overdue to be put in the ground.  My thought is to build a shade house, put those fruit trees there for 2 months, get the irrigation lines in, prep the soil, get rid of ground squirrels/gophers, and put the trees in the fall or spring.  The exact details on how to do so remain unclear to me...I have no experience running a farm or planting such large numbers of trees.  Any suggestion is greatly appreciated. 

If anyone is interested in having a visit, please PM, especially if we have already met at Brad's gatherings. 

Ken 




« Last Edit: July 19, 2021, 04:24:43 PM by Ken Bee »

johnb51

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2021, 09:05:35 AM »
I would think Brad would be the one to advise you.  Congratulations!  I hope it all goes well in spite of the CA drought we hear so much about.
John

driftwood

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2021, 10:34:54 AM »
Winter/fall/spring time is the time to plant in San Diego county. Otherwise you will have to make sure your trees are irrigated nicely during the summer.

I would get animal like a cat or dog to start hunting gophers or even the gopher repellant frequency generators. Sometimes in extreme cases chicken wire fencing needs to be placed underneath roots/garden beds.

As far as drought goes, escondido is nearby the greatest spring mountain water in all of southern california, Mt. Palomar. Water will be your limiting factor, as I believe in escondido, you have to buy all your water (could be wrong, but I believe most properties in SD county are like this) Temecula has an advantage because its in riverside county and allows for wells

Not sure how many trees or what you intend on planting but if your property is hilly you will have very diff temps at diff elevations. The cold sinks into the valleys at night, which is why the avocados are planted on the hill sides and the tops of the hills stay warmer.

The heat can be brutal to trees and burn fruit. Depending on how big your trees are I would recommend building an understory with fast growing trees like Inga, Etc.

Do the property in phases. 60 acres is a lot. start with a small area

Enjoy and good luck

ben mango

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2021, 10:55:29 AM »
You’re gonna have to have a road built to access different parts of the property.

spaugh

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2021, 11:53:54 AM »
Winter/fall/spring time is the time to plant in San Diego county. Otherwise you will have to make sure your trees are irrigated nicely during the summer.

I would get animal like a cat or dog to start hunting gophers or even the gopher repellant frequency generators. Sometimes in extreme cases chicken wire fencing needs to be placed underneath roots/garden beds.

As far as drought goes, escondido is nearby the greatest spring mountain water in all of southern california, Mt. Palomar. Water will be your limiting factor, as I believe in escondido, you have to buy all your water (could be wrong, but I believe most properties in SD county are like this) Temecula has an advantage because its in riverside county and allows for wells

Not sure how many trees or what you intend on planting but if your property is hilly you will have very diff temps at diff elevations. The cold sinks into the valleys at night, which is why the avocados are planted on the hill sides and the tops of the hills stay warmer.

The heat can be brutal to trees and burn fruit. Depending on how big your trees are I would recommend building an understory with fast growing trees like Inga, Etc.

Do the property in phases. 60 acres is a lot. start with a small area

Enjoy and good luck

Most rural properties in san diego have wells.  Are your wells all up and running Ken?  You have a water tank or does the water come straight out of the ground into the irrigation lines? 

Personally I would put in a swimming pool first.  And then get a deer fence up if deer are around.  Then just get the main water line in and put drip tubing down in rows and go for it. 

This is a tool you will need, just order one its the best shovel over.
https://www.lewiscontractorsales.com/corona-max-all-steel-spade-15-diamond-blade.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxdSHBhCdARIsAG6zhlWWBC581rGW8FTMOelOlObXmhVtPmI8qa0nPqM4AwFvxFPK5w5bwPQaAm76EALw_wcB
Brad Spaugh

shaneatwell

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2021, 01:20:26 PM »
I'm curious what trees you're planting. I have a lot out your way and I've been planting mostly nut trees, some stone fruit and then various experimentals (jabo, banana, pawpaw, avocado, mulberry, cherimoya, kei). Plus tons of oak trees and a few pines/redwood. Most of mine are seedlings and I've been experimenting with quite a few different ways of protecting the roots/tops. Plants vary enormously on what they attract. I do not have deer fence and have been relying on tubes. Would rather have fence, but tubes have been working ok.
Shane

JCorte

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2021, 01:32:42 PM »
Hi Ken,

Congratulations on the farm!  We bought a 16 acre property in Fallbrook a year ago and planted out the first 4 acres this past spring.  Like others have mentioned, I think a well is important.  We have city water, but are on the waiting list with the driller, permit approval was fast.  If you’re looking into a greenhouse, we found bids were only good for a few days and prices were rising significantly within a week, and items are still on backorder.  Not sure if this is temporary, but demand seems high for farm related stuff.  Several properties have sold around us in the past few months and there’s lots of clearing/ and improvements going on. 

Gophers, ground squirrels, and rabbits, have been a challenge.  For us, it’s not possible yet to plant things unprotected.  Everything goes in a gopher basket with chicken wire cage above to protect from rabbits.  Brad is great at the trapping, we’re still figuring it out.  The gopher and squirrel tunnels are extensive and are hundreds of feet long.  We spread hundreds of pounds of cover crop seeds before the winter rains and most got eaten by the birds and rabbits.  Only the seeds inside the chicken wire made it.  Now that it’s gotten hotter, critters are chewing on the irrigation lines so important to have back up supplies of parts. 

We spent several months just observing the property to figure out how water flows during rainfall, where colder/warmer microclimates are, where windbreaks are needed, etc.

It’s exciting to be able to grow you’re own fruit!  Best of luck to you!

Janet

SHV

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2021, 03:21:12 PM »
Hey Ken,

Congrats on the farm purchase.  Finding arable land in SD county is not an easy task and I wish you the best of luck. As you know, unincorporated Escondido encompasses a large area, from Hidden Meadows all the way down to San Pasqual valley with so many little microclimates in between. It looks like you have old avocados on the property, so you can likely grow many subtropicals to keep your belly full. It will take some trial and error to discover which plants do well in your soil and climate. Consider the potential impact of the random 100+F days with high winds.  Direct sun in CA inland is not the same as direct sun in Florida.  Information online regarding plant tolerances does not always apply to our harsh sun and low humidity.  Frost threats all depend on the topology of your property and its location to valley or canyon floors.
I have planted 4 acres on a 6 acre lot, and that’s about all I can reasonably manage on my own. As others have mentioned, you will have to combat gophers, squirrels, rabbits, and deer who cumulatively create a lot of havoc. Expect coyotes to chew on your drip lines and destroy irrigation lines. Make homemade gopher cages for new seedling trees knowing that you will never trap them all and they multiply quickly. A random deer came through, mowed through my vineyard and ate all my sweet tart mangos this year. Bastards. If you can afford fencing, it will pay off in the long run.
Last, and probably most important, is identifying a sustainable source of water.  If you don’t have a productive well on the property, you will need one.  City water is far too costly in the long run and you need plenty of water for the hot summer days. Invest in a large tank for well water storage and plan out your irrigation carefully, automating as much as possible with drip systems.
This is a pretty basic summary, but I’m always happy to discuss in more detail if you want to drop a PM. 

johnb51

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #8 on: July 19, 2021, 03:43:43 PM »
60 acres sounds really big.  Any plans to plant other trees besides fruit trees?  Could you get a little sustainable forest going with multiple varieties of trees that would provide wood for various uses, especially considering a future that looks uncertain in so many ways?  It would help to be self-sufficient.
John

TheGivingTree

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #9 on: July 19, 2021, 04:28:47 PM »
Congrats on the aquisition. Got some seedling loquats for the donation if interested.

Ken Bee

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #10 on: July 20, 2021, 02:18:49 AM »
60 acres sounds really big.  Any plans to plant other trees besides fruit trees?  Could you get a little sustainable forest going with multiple varieties of trees that would provide wood for various uses, especially considering a future that looks uncertain in so many ways?  It would help to be self-sufficient.

We do have some native oak trees and shrubs at the bottom of the ravine, but those are for wildlife and not for cutting.  I am thinking just fruit trees.  Not sure what to do with those cut flowers.

Ken

Ken Bee

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #11 on: July 20, 2021, 02:22:45 AM »
Winter/fall/spring time is the time to plant in San Diego county. Otherwise you will have to make sure your trees are irrigated nicely during the summer.

I would get animal like a cat or dog to start hunting gophers or even the gopher repellant frequency generators. Sometimes in extreme cases chicken wire fencing needs to be placed underneath roots/garden beds.

As far as drought goes, escondido is nearby the greatest spring mountain water in all of southern california, Mt. Palomar. Water will be your limiting factor, as I believe in escondido, you have to buy all your water (could be wrong, but I believe most properties in SD county are like this) Temecula has an advantage because its in riverside county and allows for wells

Not sure how many trees or what you intend on planting but if your property is hilly you will have very diff temps at diff elevations. The cold sinks into the valleys at night, which is why the avocados are planted on the hill sides and the tops of the hills stay warmer.

The heat can be brutal to trees and burn fruit. Depending on how big your trees are I would recommend building an understory with fast growing trees like Inga, Etc.

Do the property in phases. 60 acres is a lot. start with a small area

Enjoy and good luck

Yeah, thinking about adopting cats and dogs for animal control and security.  Our property is gentle rolling hills with sandy loam type soil.  Thanks for the advice on doing in phases.  The property has 3 wells, one is working but using excessive amount of electricity, another one is supposedly fixed but with issues, and the third one has not been working for years.


Ken

Ken Bee

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #12 on: July 20, 2021, 02:23:56 AM »
You’re gonna have to have a road built to access different parts of the property.

The property has roads built in already for most part.  may need to create a relatively short fire lane/road for a small section.

Ken

Ken Bee

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #13 on: July 20, 2021, 02:26:36 AM »
Winter/fall/spring time is the time to plant in San Diego county. Otherwise you will have to make sure your trees are irrigated nicely during the summer.

I would get animal like a cat or dog to start hunting gophers or even the gopher repellant frequency generators. Sometimes in extreme cases chicken wire fencing needs to be placed underneath roots/garden beds.

As far as drought goes, escondido is nearby the greatest spring mountain water in all of southern california, Mt. Palomar. Water will be your limiting factor, as I believe in escondido, you have to buy all your water (could be wrong, but I believe most properties in SD county are like this) Temecula has an advantage because its in riverside county and allows for wells

Not sure how many trees or what you intend on planting but if your property is hilly you will have very diff temps at diff elevations. The cold sinks into the valleys at night, which is why the avocados are planted on the hill sides and the tops of the hills stay warmer.

The heat can be brutal to trees and burn fruit. Depending on how big your trees are I would recommend building an understory with fast growing trees like Inga, Etc.

Do the property in phases. 60 acres is a lot. start with a small area

Enjoy and good luck

Most rural properties in san diego have wells.  Are your wells all up and running Ken?  You have a water tank or does the water come straight out of the ground into the irrigation lines? 

Personally I would put in a swimming pool first.  And then get a deer fence up if deer are around.  Then just get the main water line in and put drip tubing down in rows and go for it. 

This is a tool you will need, just order one its the best shovel over.
https://www.lewiscontractorsales.com/corona-max-all-steel-spade-15-diamond-blade.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxdSHBhCdARIsAG6zhlWWBC581rGW8FTMOelOlObXmhVtPmI8qa0nPqM4AwFvxFPK5w5bwPQaAm76EALw_wcB

Still don't have water storage tanks...will put some in eventually.  As far as I know, there are no deer on the property.  Thanks for the shovel recommendation.  I will get one.

Ken

Ken Bee

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #14 on: July 20, 2021, 02:32:01 AM »
Hi Ken,

Congratulations on the farm!  We bought a 16 acre property in Fallbrook a year ago and planted out the first 4 acres this past spring.  Like others have mentioned, I think a well is important.  We have city water, but are on the waiting list with the driller, permit approval was fast.  If you’re looking into a greenhouse, we found bids were only good for a few days and prices were rising significantly within a week, and items are still on backorder.  Not sure if this is temporary, but demand seems high for farm related stuff.  Several properties have sold around us in the past few months and there’s lots of clearing/ and improvements going on. 

Gophers, ground squirrels, and rabbits, have been a challenge.  For us, it’s not possible yet to plant things unprotected.  Everything goes in a gopher basket with chicken wire cage above to protect from rabbits.  Brad is great at the trapping, we’re still figuring it out.  The gopher and squirrel tunnels are extensive and are hundreds of feet long.  We spread hundreds of pounds of cover crop seeds before the winter rains and most got eaten by the birds and rabbits.  Only the seeds inside the chicken wire made it.  Now that it’s gotten hotter, critters are chewing on the irrigation lines so important to have back up supplies of parts. 

We spent several months just observing the property to figure out how water flows during rainfall, where colder/warmer microclimates are, where windbreaks are needed, etc.

It’s exciting to be able to grow you’re own fruit!  Best of luck to you!

Janet

Hi Janet,

That is cool you have bought a property only last year not far away from us.  It seems any property priced right is immediately bought up in our area.  It is definitely a seller's market.

Thanks for sharing your experience with vertebrate pests...we have tons of them on our property due to years of neglect from the previous owner.  I am thinking about using CO fumigation in the winter/spring to control them.

There seem to be a few people with property nearby.  Perhaps we should all have a get together to share experience and resources. 

Ken

Ken Bee

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #15 on: July 20, 2021, 02:34:32 AM »
Hey Ken,

Congrats on the farm purchase.  Finding arable land in SD county is not an easy task and I wish you the best of luck. As you know, unincorporated Escondido encompasses a large area, from Hidden Meadows all the way down to San Pasqual valley with so many little microclimates in between. It looks like you have old avocados on the property, so you can likely grow many subtropicals to keep your belly full. It will take some trial and error to discover which plants do well in your soil and climate. Consider the potential impact of the random 100+F days with high winds.  Direct sun in CA inland is not the same as direct sun in Florida.  Information online regarding plant tolerances does not always apply to our harsh sun and low humidity.  Frost threats all depend on the topology of your property and its location to valley or canyon floors.
I have planted 4 acres on a 6 acre lot, and that’s about all I can reasonably manage on my own. As others have mentioned, you will have to combat gophers, squirrels, rabbits, and deer who cumulatively create a lot of havoc. Expect coyotes to chew on your drip lines and destroy irrigation lines. Make homemade gopher cages for new seedling trees knowing that you will never trap them all and they multiply quickly. A random deer came through, mowed through my vineyard and ate all my sweet tart mangos this year. Bastards. If you can afford fencing, it will pay off in the long run.
Last, and probably most important, is identifying a sustainable source of water.  If you don’t have a productive well on the property, you will need one.  City water is far too costly in the long run and you need plenty of water for the hot summer days. Invest in a large tank for well water storage and plan out your irrigation carefully, automating as much as possible with drip systems.
This is a pretty basic summary, but I’m always happy to discuss in more detail if you want to drop a PM.

Hi SHV,

I would love to discuss your experience planting fruit trees.  There are so many things to do. I am trying to learn to prioritize.  PM you.

Ken

Ken Bee

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #16 on: July 20, 2021, 02:36:06 AM »
Congrats on the aquisition. Got some seedling loquats for the donation if interested.

Thank you.  I have about 100+ 1-yr old loquat seedlings myself.  I would take more, but you are too far.  Thanks for the offer though.

Ken

Itay Gazit

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #17 on: July 20, 2021, 02:36:49 AM »
Hi Janet,

We also plan to move to FallBrook area in the near future. If I may ask, at what elevation is your property? I know that low elevations are more susceptible to frost, I wonder if parcels with elevation 1000 and higher have good microclimate?

Thank you

Hi Ken,

Congratulations on the farm!  We bought a 16 acre property in Fallbrook a year ago and planted out the first 4 acres this past spring.  Like others have mentioned, I think a well is important.  We have city water, but are on the waiting list with the driller, permit approval was fast.  If you’re looking into a greenhouse, we found bids were only good for a few days and prices were rising significantly within a week, and items are still on backorder.  Not sure if this is temporary, but demand seems high for farm related stuff.  Several properties have sold around us in the past few months and there’s lots of clearing/ and improvements going on. 

Gophers, ground squirrels, and rabbits, have been a challenge.  For us, it’s not possible yet to plant things unprotected.  Everything goes in a gopher basket with chicken wire cage above to protect from rabbits.  Brad is great at the trapping, we’re still figuring it out.  The gopher and squirrel tunnels are extensive and are hundreds of feet long.  We spread hundreds of pounds of cover crop seeds before the winter rains and most got eaten by the birds and rabbits.  Only the seeds inside the chicken wire made it.  Now that it’s gotten hotter, critters are chewing on the irrigation lines so important to have back up supplies of parts. 

We spent several months just observing the property to figure out how water flows during rainfall, where colder/warmer microclimates are, where windbreaks are needed, etc.

It’s exciting to be able to grow you’re own fruit!  Best of luck to you!

Janet

Ken Bee

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #18 on: July 20, 2021, 02:45:26 AM »
I'm curious what trees you're planting. I have a lot out your way and I've been planting mostly nut trees, some stone fruit and then various experimentals (jabo, banana, pawpaw, avocado, mulberry, cherimoya, kei). Plus tons of oak trees and a few pines/redwood. Most of mine are seedlings and I've been experimenting with quite a few different ways of protecting the roots/tops. Plants vary enormously on what they attract. I do not have deer fence and have been relying on tubes. Would rather have fence, but tubes have been working ok.

I have a collection of different fruit trees, nothing too exotic.  Mostly, dragon fruit, cherimoya, loquat, mangoes.  Some white sapote, lucuma, rose apple, black sapote, jujube, peach, plum, apple, kei, mulberry, avocado...etc.  All of them have been in pots for too long already.

Ken

nattyfroootz

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #19 on: July 20, 2021, 09:10:00 AM »
Congrats! What an exciting endeavour.

I just got 12 acres of an old Avocado orchard in Santa Cruz County and have more or less gone through this before.  Thankfully though, I had a well, tanks, and distribution lines all put in by the previous owner (truly the luckiest most amazing hook up ever). 

I spent lots of time clearing for a deer fence immediately because we have really high deer pressure.  If you have the capacity, it might be worth it to build your deer fence with friends or someone you can rope into doing it with you for a couple of weeks.  1/2 mile of deer fence was about 50k to have someone install (ouch).

I planted out a bunch of trees in fall last year because I was too stoked to wait, and really, I should have waited till I had irrigation in already.  It's pretty to hard to try and keep up with drying out plants in the ground.  I would say that getting irrigation figured out is probably #1 priority.

Grow cooler fruits

www.wildlandsplants.com

simon_grow

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #20 on: July 20, 2021, 08:02:56 PM »
Hey Ken, aside from all the great things everyone already mentioned, think about fire safety. I know it’s probably low priority right now but fires in the foothills can be devastating. Clearing the land around your house and an evacuation route is critical.

Fruit trees don’t like their roots in containers for prolonged periods of time. Once you get your drip lines and everything else set, get your trees into the ground ASAP and if they don’t grow well for you, don’t waste time trying to get them to recover. Just start out with fresh plants.

Ideally your plants will provide you with a source of income and right now, Yangmei is the new up and coming fruit.

Watch this video for some inspiration

 https://youtu.be/QyqQagZM_6Y

Simon

Oolie

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #21 on: July 20, 2021, 09:05:09 PM »
Steeper sections will erode faster, and gophers will be a never-ending battle. Make good cages for the trees out of 1/2" galvanized hardware cloth, and consider several dozen Gophinator traps. Don't make plans for the days following rains except for trapping gophers. You're in a beautiful location!

spaugh

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #22 on: July 20, 2021, 09:06:27 PM »
Winter/fall/spring time is the time to plant in San Diego county. Otherwise you will have to make sure your trees are irrigated nicely during the summer.

I would get animal like a cat or dog to start hunting gophers or even the gopher repellant frequency generators. Sometimes in extreme cases chicken wire fencing needs to be placed underneath roots/garden beds.

As far as drought goes, escondido is nearby the greatest spring mountain water in all of southern california, Mt. Palomar. Water will be your limiting factor, as I believe in escondido, you have to buy all your water (could be wrong, but I believe most properties in SD county are like this) Temecula has an advantage because its in riverside county and allows for wells

Not sure how many trees or what you intend on planting but if your property is hilly you will have very diff temps at diff elevations. The cold sinks into the valleys at night, which is why the avocados are planted on the hill sides and the tops of the hills stay warmer.

The heat can be brutal to trees and burn fruit. Depending on how big your trees are I would recommend building an understory with fast growing trees like Inga, Etc.

Do the property in phases. 60 acres is a lot. start with a small area

Enjoy and good luck

Most rural properties in san diego have wells.  Are your wells all up and running Ken?  You have a water tank or does the water come straight out of the ground into the irrigation lines? 

Personally I would put in a swimming pool first.  And then get a deer fence up if deer are around.  Then just get the main water line in and put drip tubing down in rows and go for it. 

This is a tool you will need, just order one its the best shovel over.
https://www.lewiscontractorsales.com/corona-max-all-steel-spade-15-diamond-blade.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxdSHBhCdARIsAG6zhlWWBC581rGW8FTMOelOlObXmhVtPmI8qa0nPqM4AwFvxFPK5w5bwPQaAm76EALw_wcB

Still don't have water storage tanks...will put some in eventually.  As far as I know, there are no deer on the property.  Thanks for the shovel recommendation.  I will get one.

Ken

Water tank isnt really necessay if you have a big well pump that can flow enough on demand.  Dont spend money on it unless you end up needing it. 

Same for the deer, dont make a fence unless you have to but I would be really surprised if theres no deer.  A trail cam or 2 might be useful.  I use them occasionally to see whats going on at night.  Theres a lot of wildlife around and it helps to know which ones are doing what damage at night.  Can make trapping them a lot easier.

You could plant a couple trees now as sacraficial lambs and see if they survive without being eaten.  Loquat trees will have no issues being planted now. 
Brad Spaugh

JCorte

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #23 on: July 20, 2021, 11:43:48 PM »
Here’s a link to post on gopher repellent/resistant plants:

https://tastylandscape.com/2013/08/28/gopher-resistant-plants-truth-and-lies/

We sowed seeds of sweet clover (Melilotus indicus) at the base of each tree we planted.  If it doesn’t work in repelling gophers, at least it’s nitrogen fixing and provides a great living mulch.  The rabbits haven’t eaten it either.  We will also be putting up hawk perch poles and a couple of owl boxes, as well as encouraging gopher snakes.  I know I’ve spent a lot of time discussing gophers, but the trees I thought would be safe from them and didn’t plant in baskets got munched. 

I have a lot of plants in pots as well.  Instead of picking ideal spots for each tree, we created swales on contour and planted everything about 12 feet apart, with trees needing cross pollination together.  I figure this will get the trees growing and preserve the genetics to graft and propagate later.  We still have plants in pots that I’m going to wait till after summer to get in the ground.  In the meantime, I am pruning them to slow their growth and getting them all on drip irrigation.

Itay,
Elevation of our property is about 700 feet, climate is great for growing.  If we had regular rainfall, I think most plants would thrive.

Janet

spaugh

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Re: How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?
« Reply #24 on: July 20, 2021, 11:56:14 PM »
Forget gopher baskets and gopher tolerant plants, get some traps and murder them dead wholesale.  Its not that hard once they are gone to keep it that way.  I probably killed 20 or so this year and it really isnt that hard to do.  Once you get practiced with the traps its almost a fun to see how easily you can catch them. 

If anyone is interested in a video of how to do it Im happy to make one next time theres one here.  I find the large mole size trapline traps work better than their gophenator trap size.  Its slightly smaller and slips into the tunnels easier. 
Brad Spaugh